Reimagining Nutrition Education in a Teaching Kitchen. Findings from a Pilot Study.

Abstract

Students in U.S. medical schools spend little time learning about nutrition as it relates to health and disease. As a result, they lack important skills needed to care for themselves and their patients. To close this gap in their knowledge, instructors from the University of Minnesota created a course, “Food Matters for Doctors,” that combines didactic learning about practical topics related to food and nutrition with hands-on experience in the kitchen. They piloted the course in the spring of 2016. This article describes the course and changes in students’ knowledge and abilities before and after completing it.